Lateran

[ lat-er-uhn ]

noun

1. the church of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the city of Rome; the church of the pope as bishop of Rome.

Lateran

/ ˈlætərən /

noun

1. Also calledLateran palace a palace in Rome, formerly the official residence of the popes
2. any of five ecumenical councils held in this palace between 1123 and 1512
3. the basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lateran¹

from Latin: the district is named after the ancient Roman family Plautii Laterani

Example Sentences

There is at least one commonality between this period and the days leading up to John Paul’s death: a special evening Mass at St. John’s Lateran Basilica.

From Washington Post

Responding to that call, the diocese of Rome scheduled a special Mass in honor of Benedict on Friday at St. John Lateran, Benedict’s former basilica in his capacity as the bishop of Rome.

From Seattle Times

On June 13, the Vatican said the pope would not celebrate the annual Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Domini, a ritual which usually involved the pope’s presence at Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran.

From Washington Times

He was ordained a priest in 1950 and obtained a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, both in Rome.

From Washington Post

Organizers put the crowd assembled in front of St. John Lateran basilica for the protest at 100,000-strong,

From Seattle Times